The Sign

The place: Roman-occupied Palestine
The time: 20 A.D.
Valerius Gratus, later succeeded by Pontius Pilate, is governor. John the Baptist has not yet begun his ministry. Radical cults oppose the established religion of the Jews; political protest and oppression are rife; clandestine resistance groups plot against the Roman oppressors; zealots are crucified by the Roman military for religious and political extremism. Healers and visionaries walk the land, interpreting the past, predicting the future, warning of signs and omens. Into this time and place comes a young prophet who believes he is the Chosen One, the long-awaited Messiah. He is a man of the people, possessing extraordinary spiritual and psychic powers, yet deeply vulnerable as a man, emotionally and sexually. His characterization is surely one of the most gripping and astonishing in modern fiction.
The Sign explores, as no other book by Robin Maugham, the many facets of love, faith and passion. It is the author's most daring and controversial novel.